Star wars: Knights of Shadow
by TheLostKnights
Summary: Twelve months have passed since the Battle of Crait and the spark of the resistance has been lit! Troubled, Kylo Ren's First Order struggles for supremacy as their leader descends into madness. Yet, the return of the Kylo's mysterious Knights of Ren may be what is needed to tip the scales. Meanwhile, Rey struggles with her own sanity as she discovers the cost of her power.
1. Prelude to Destruction

_One moment was all it took._

 _Everything he had believed was as broken as the remains of the hut he had crawled out of, splinters still sticking into his skin. The clothes he wore, once clean and regal, were now as dirtied and tattered as a Nar Shaddaa street urchin. It hadn't taken much to escape, he'd brought the brunt of the structure down on his uncle's head ahead of him leaving little to escape from._

 _But even without exerting much effort, he still felt like he had run for a whole day without pause._

 _He had woken up to find his uncle at his bedside, lightsaber in hand and bloodlust in his eyes. The burning blade of green had illuminated the once dark cabin, and that brief instant of fear and betrayal gave way to another emotion: Rage. Channelling his anger he'd summoned his own lightsaber to clash against his uncles blade, using the clash to call upon the force. He had known better then to target his uncle directly with the force, which was why he'd called down the roof upon his head, burying them both in rubble. His own blade was lost in that moment, the weapon dropped as the roof fell upon them both. He had reached out to grab it during his escape. But instead of his blue blade he'd claimed the very weapon his uncle used to try to destroy him._

 _He looked down at the weapon, hand still shaking as the moment replayed itself in his mind like a broken recording. His uncle, the man who destroyed the Emperor and bested Darth Vader. The man who had guided him, taught him how to hold a lightsaber and how to call upon the force. Who had been with him every step of his training, encouraging him to reach heights he didn't know he could achieve and do things he didn't think possible. That man who was more of a father to him then his own had ever been, had just tried to kill him. His world hadn't come crashing down, no, it had just fallen out from under him and into a burning sun._

" _B…en…"_

 _#_

 _A familiar voice tore him back into the physical world. It was a voice he'd heard countless times, but it's tone was pained and it spoke at almost a whisper. Raising his head, he looked ahead of him. Smoke rose from the temple ahead, the once proud halls burning. And there, sitting against the wall of the hut in-front of his own was the origin of the voice. And what he saw was enough to bring him to his feet and rush to his friends side._

 _The Chiss clutched at her stomach. Her once vibrant red eyes now dull and weak. Tenderly, he grasped her wrist and lifted it, spying the injury she was cradling. Even in the low light, he could tell that it was a stab wound. Yet, he felt no dampness on her palm indicating there was no blood. That narrowed the weapon down to just one that could have caused this._

" _No! No! No!" He released her hand, moving his own up to the side of her face as his stomach sank. "Jaina! Hold on! Stay with me!" The woman weakly rested her head back against the wood of the building behind her, staring at him._

" _Ben…I…I…Master Skywalker…com…ing…here. H…his rage, he…wanted to…to…ki..ll you. I-I foll..owed b-but…but…I…" Ben raised a finger to her lips, silencing her._

" _Don't try to talk, save your strength." He closed his eyes, shaking his head in the vain hope this was some kind of nightmare he could wake from. But upon opening his eyes, Jaina was still there, still dying, just like everything else in his life crumbled away._

 _This really was hell._

 _He thought about her words again, realizing that he was not mistaken earlier: His uncle had wanted him dead, enough that he was prepared to kill the only other person he cared for. Never in his life had he felt more afraid and lost._

 _#_

" _Master Skywalker, we're under attack!"_

 _Looking sidewards, Ben saw three other students, their robes in various states of wear and tear. One look at the temple once again reminded him that it was not just his friend who suffered injury. "Ben! where's Master Skywalker?" The man at the head of the column frowned, spying the destroyed cottage that had once been Bens quarters. "What happened…here…" He trailed off, Ben noticing that his gaze focused down on his left hand. Ben followed his eyes, his own widening as he saw that he was still holding his uncles iconic lightsaber in his hand. The mans gaze also turned to Jaina, his features slowly hardening._

" _What have you done!?" The man activated his blade, the rare gold blade springing to life with a hiss._

" _Wait! Hold on!" Ben got to his feet, backing away with hands up. "T-this wasn't- J-jaina…Master Skywalker…" He stammered, in the throes of panic. Words failed him as his mind continued to race, still trying to process the absolute hell he had woken up in. The gold-saber wielding man charged him, the nephew of Skywalker narrowly dodging to the side from the downward swing. He stepped back as the blade swung diagonally towards him, the blade narrowly missing his throat. The others activated their own blades, about to charge in when the left-most one was suddenly propelled through the air, slamming into her comrade. Ben looked to the side to see Jaina, hand outstretched and glaring at the duo before slumping forwards into the ground motionless. "Jaina!"_

 _He paused in his movement as he saw his friend succumb to unconsciousness, looking back just in time to see the lightsaber of his foe coming towards him. On instinct, he ignited his uncles blade, parrying the strike and clashing with his opponent. Through grit teeth, he pushed his foe back and swung upwards from the right, putting the other Jedi on the defensive and forcing him to take steps back. His enemy jabbed at him, yet Ben swatted the weapon aside and went for another strike. His foe blocked the attack and took another step back, prompting Ben to strike again. He clashed, kicking his foe in the stomach and forcing him to stumble back. With more distance between them, Ben held his weapon with both hands in-front of him. He raised his uncles blade in-front of him, aiming to keep his foe at a distance._

 _The Gold-blade wielding Jedi brought his blade back behind him, preparing to strike him down with a single attack. The move betrayed his opponent's inexperience, demonstrating that he believed himself out of options. Or more likely, that he thought he could end the battle quickly. His foe launched toward him, both hands on his blades hilt as he swung the weapon around at Ben. Effortlessly, Ben shifted his blade around and parried the incoming blow, staggering his opponent and causing him to drop his weapon. Not giving him even another moment, Ben lunging forward and ran his foe through with his uncles green blade._

 _As his blade punctured his foes chest, it dawned on Ben what he had done. Eyes widened as his enemy slid down his blade, shock just as visible on his foes features as his own. Feeling him grab at his shoulder, he grit his teeth, pure malice in his eyes alongside pain._

" _You…Treacherous Bilge…Rat!" As his opponent expired, Ben stumbled back. The blade once embedded in his foes chest slid free, allowing the former Jedi's corpse to hit the ground._

" _No!" One of his cohorts cried out, getting to their feet and igniting their blade. As Ben turned to face her, the sound of a blaster rang out. A bolt of red flew through the air, hitting the back of the womans head. Her saber fell from her grip, body crumpling to the ground like wet paper. The other jumped to her feet, only to receive three blasts: Two at her legs, which forced her to her knees while the final hit her square in the back of the head as well. Looking beyond the two, he spotted the perpetrator. A lone figure, cloaked in black with a hood obscuring their face. Two blaster pistols, one held in either hand, were currently pointed in his general direction._

 _The accuracy of the attacks and swiftness of the shots put Ben on the alert. It took an especially skilled gunslinger to catch a single force user unawares, let alone dispose of one so efficiently as they did their second kill. He assumed a stance, preparing to block and deflect any incoming blasts._

" _Easy with that, your Highness. Don't need you poking any holes in me too." Ben watched as the figure twirled the twin blasters in his fingers, holstering them both simultaneously at his sides as he pulled back the hood, revealing the all-too familiar Mirialan underneath it._

" _Keth?" Ben lowered the blade, his stance relaxing. "What the hell are you doing here? You were exiled."_

 _The Mirialan approached, shooting his trademark smirk and playfully punching Bens shoulder, earning a grunt from the other man._

" _I thought that was obvious your highness. We came back for you." Ben frowned at that, deactivating the lightsaber._

" _We?" Keths smirk faded, a more serious and solemn expression replacing it._

" _I had a vision. A terrible one. I saw Master Luke standing over you, you were asleep. He activated his lightsaber and killed you in cold blood."_

" _Me and the gang decided to come back and see if you were alright, but the moment we asked about you everyone drew lightsabers and tried to kill us." Keth grabbed Bens shoulder, looking him in the eye with a furrowed brow. "Ben. They were all in on it. They all wanted you dead, it's why they cast us out. It's why they killed Jaina. Because they knew we'd always be there to protect you if they tried anything to get rid of you."_

" _N-no! That's impossible. This…this is all a misunderstanding. My uncle wouldn't…do something like this…" He trailed off, but Keth didn't relent._

" _Ben, Listen to me!" Keth shook his friend, keeping his hand firmly on his shoulder. "I know it hurts to hear this, but they all wanted you dead. This whole place is a cult: A crazy cult that bows to the whims of a power-hungry old maniac obsessed with being the 'chosen one'. And they knew how powerful you were getting, and they couldn't have that." Keth sighed. "What was the first thing we learned about power?"_

" _All who gain it are afraid to lose it." Ben repeated slowly with a troubled brow. "We need to get a message out to my mom and dad. If my uncle's gone mad, they need to know so they can put a stop this."_

" _Your parents knew what this place was the moment they sent you here." He shrugged. "It makes a sick kind of sense: Why else did they never contact you?" Keth sighed. "Look, I know how crazy this all sounds but it's the truth." Seeing his friends uncertainty, he reached out and put his other hand upon his other shoulder. "Ben. Have I ever lied to you?"_

 _Ben stood in silence, processing his friends words before responding with a shake of his head._

" _Then if there was ever a night to trust me, it's tonight. We have to get out of here before the republic troops show up. I know a guy who can help us, he can show you what the jedi have really been up to." Keth stepped away, walking passed the Jedi Ben had impaled a moment ago as he made his way toward the clearing. "The others were on the way back to the ship, I parked it over there. Bit of a walk, but if we're quick we can make it there before reinforcements arrive."_

 _Ben turned to Jaina, walking over to her side and kneeling down. Keth stopped, turning back to look at Ben._

 _#_

" _Ben, there's no time."_

 _Placing a hand at the side of her neck, he checked her pulse. The heartbeat was weak and it wouldn't be long before she left the land of the living, unless he did something._

" _She has a pulse." He replied, earning a frown from the Mirialan._

" _The republic's going to be here any minute! She's dead anyway, and only going to slow us down." Keth's tone betrayed his urgency, the Mirialan glancing at the horizon of the burning temple. "Karabast! They're almost here!" Glancing to the horizon, he saw a dropship approach the temple. Even in the low light, he could make out the symbols that showed its allegiance to the republic._

" _We'll put her in the bacta tank on your ship." He remembered how much of a big deal Keth had made about it when he'd purchased the vessel. And right now, it was Jaina's only hope._

" _Leave her or we'll never make it!"_

 _No, he wasn't going to abandon her! The thought didn't cross his mind for even a second, no matter how great the odds stacked against him were. He'd lost so much already tonight, and he'd be damned if he lost the closest thing to family he had left._

 _Kneeling down, he clipped his Uncles lightsaber to his belt. Placing his hands under Jaina, he lifted her up and turned her around, hoisting her into his arms._

 _He looked to his friend, expression one of grim determination._

" _Her fate will be the same as ours."_


	2. Waking to Ashes

"Supreme Leader!"

Kylo opened his eyes at the sound of the voice, frowning down at the individual that dared to rouse him from his thoughts. The memories of the past faded, the open fields and scent of death replaced by the black plasteel hall that he was seated in. It was uncomfortable to sit in, even after twelve months sitting in it for any extended period of time still made his back strained and arms sore. Yet, he persevered because this throne was more than a chair: It was the only remnant of their former leader. To remove it or alter it in any way was to show himself weak.

He shifted his hand from his cheek to instead place it atop the arm-rest, shifting slowly up into a straighter posture in his throne as he levelled his gaze on the source of the voice. Even in the bleak halls, bathed in the low light he could make out the auburn-haired man standing before him. The side-burns were as obvious as the long black coat worn atop his uniform, signalling his rank.

"What is it, Hux?"

Even after the change in leader and his own ascension, he had kept Hux in his place as General. He knew how much he coveted the rank of Grand Marshal almost as much as Kylo's own position as Supreme Leader. Even now he could sense his seething hatred, the man bristling at the fact he wasn't addressed by his rank. But there was nothing he could do about this disrespect now: Once, in the past, he would have been able to correct him or voice his disapproval. It brought Kylo no shortage of amusement to see his rival squirm and seethe, it was one of the only enjoyments he had left.

"The resistance, in collaboration with local militia, have ousted our forces from Manaan. The leaders we had stationed there are dead." Kylo closed his eyes, a slow breath leaving his nostrils in frustration at the news.

"And the Fleet posted there?" Kylo asked.

"Mass casualties, my…lord. But the flagship Arbitrator and two other cruisers escaped, they are currently en-route to rejoin the main fleet." Hux answered.

Clenching his left hand to a fist, Kylo's brow furrowed in silent fury.

"Have the Admiral in-charge of the invasion brought to me and punished, his incompetence will be dealt with."

"Then I want you to gather two invasion forces. One to be sent to Dantooine, the other to support our forces in the invasion of Onderon."

#

Hux shook his head, the tactical incompetence of their leader bewildering him. He himself was no Grand Admiral Thrawn, but these new orders were a disaster waiting to happen. For over a year he had bowed his head, vocally agreeing despite how much he despised the orders. He'd seen what had happened to the others that spoke out, and more then once he'd been throttled or thrown about like a rag-doll.

But now, he couldn't hold his tongue any longer. Not after this.

"Why?"

He stepped forward, shaking his head in disgust. "So, you can waste more of our forces on this half-hearted campaign and play mystic?"

The supreme leader slammed his clenched fist down on the arm-rest, rising slightly from the throne to glower at him. Hux felt a cold chill run through him at the prospect of courting the simmering fury that he so often tried to avoid.

"Because I commanded it!"

"We command more capital ships than any star-system, our Troopers are highly trained and prepared to fight in any conditions. Our weapons are up to date, and our equipment doubly so. But, if you keep sending our troops out in random directions and scattering our fleet on foolish campaigns we will get nowhere." Hux raised up a hand with palm flat and faced in the Supreme leaders direction. "Together, we are an unbreakable blade…but that blade shatters if you fracture it and scatter its shards to the wind." He spread his fingers to emphasize this, waving them up and down as he lowered his hand back to his side. He hoped the analogy might, finally, drill some sense into their Supreme leader.

"We would be less scattered if our General wouldn't divert our resources from key campaigns to spend on foolish personal errands. Just like Chandrilla"

Hux felt like the breath had been knocked out of him with a punch, the shock of the dismissal appalling even to his own standards.

"I will not apologize for sending reinforcements to assist a Grand Admiral!"

"A disgraced and demoted Admiral who couldn't even handle a simple attack." Hux grit his teeth, stomping his foot and stepping forward as the supreme leader crushed his last ounce of patience.

"GRAND Admiral Sloane was sent on a suicide mission at your order and incompetence! If you had allowed us the chance to actually perform reconnaissance, allowed HER the chance to do her job and not rely on outdated intelligence, she might still be alive!" There were few people in the First Order military that Hux could say he truly cared for, most were merely a number amidst a sea of faces and armour. But the Grand Admiral had been different. He'd known her since he was a child, dragged off into the unknown regions at the tail end of the Galactic Civil War. She had seen his potential, guided him and advised him to become the commander he was today. Without her, he never would have gotten this far. And this foolish campaign of their new supreme leader would have burnt out within its first month.

For her to have died because of poor intelligence and the impatience of their leader was an insult to the woman she was. But even someone as skilled and smart as she had been could not predict everything, least of all a trap laid by the resistance. She had lasted longer than anyone else could have, taken down ships, but by the time Hux' forces had arrived it was too late.

Kylo merely shook his head in dismissal at the woman.

"Death is failure, I thought Phasma would have taught you that."

Hux recalled the sight of Phasma's charred, armoured form being pulled from the wreckage of the explosion aboard the former Supreme Leaders Super Start Destroyer before they had sent their forces to Crait. The medical staff had done all in their power to try to save her, but it was to no avail.

"And since Captain Phasma's passing, our troops have been without a proper leader." Hux approached the throne. "Our men are questioning you, they are growing restless without a proper leader. I am doing all I can just to ensure they don't mutiny!"

"Mutiny!? Why would they Mutiny? We have won every battle save Manaan and Chandrilla."

"And yet we are losing this war!" Hux roared, approaching the throne of the supreme leader, disgust on his face. "We are bleeding men, ships, supplies and credits! Our resources are diminishing, all the while this fledgeling resistance has slowly been replenishing itself and gaining support since Crait! If we don't find some way to refocus our forces and make a cut into the Core the First Order will burn!" Kylo slowly rose from the throne, yet Hux was undeterred.

"You need to stop these expeditions to these out of the way, worthless planets with no strategic value! We need to gather our forces and cut a path through the weaker worlds to the galactic core. Not waste our time on worlds like…" He pulled up his datapad, going through the most recent departures in the last month. One name stood out among all the others. "Korriban! You sent a force of star three destroyers to an out of the way desert to play archaeologist!? What do you hope to find on a dead wor-"

The breath left his throat as he felt an invisible hand wrap tightly about his throat, hoisting him up into the air. He gasped, hands reaching up to his throat as he flailed feebly in an attempt to free himself.

"Moraband…is the key I need to save the First Order, and finally win us this war."

The grip only tightened with every world, Hux gasping vainly for air that never came. He could feel his consciousness quickly leaving him, his neck cracking under the pressure the Supreme Leader applied through the strange magic he wielded. He knew little about this "Force", only what it felt like to be abused by it.

#

Kylo had never liked Hux.

The man was a fool with an overinflated sense of self-worth who had proven, countless times, to be an incompetent threat. The only reason he hadn't snapped his neck and thrown him into the void was because, loathe as he was to admit it, he needed him. The man commanded influence and respect, enough that he could keep the troopers in line and the rest of the admirals in check.

He had thought that he had been sufficiently cowed into submission after his last attempts at speaking out of turn to him. In the past six months, he had become quieter and rarely if ever spoke out of turn unless Kylo asked his opinion. Which, given his incompetence, was rarely. He allowed the occasional back-handed compliment if alone, but most of the time he had responded to his words with a clear demonstration of his power. Usually choking him, but occasionally he'd thrown him into a wall or console if he had become particularly grating.

But this latest outburst proved that Hux' attitude needed to be corrected more severely. He wasn't going to kill him, if only because he was still unfortunately necessary. But, a more permanent injury to the man could finally help him understand his place in the First Order was never going to change. Hux was never going to be Supreme Leader, that honour belonged to himself alone!

The door to his chambers opening caught his attention, his telekinetic grip on Hux' neck fading.

"How dare you enter without my permission!" He roared, summoning his lightsabre to his hand. With a press of the button, the fiery and unstable blades of his weapon ignited. He raised the tri-pointed weapon forward, the longest blade pointing at the fool who dared interrupt him.

A distorted, synthesized chuckle came from the other side of the door. "Correction. We were summoned… We're just running a bit late, Kylo" A lone figure walked through the door, his features were obscured by a black helmet reminiscent of the one Kylo himself used to wear. The figures hands raised up as he entered, or rather casually strolled into, the throne room. "Or perhaps I should say, Supreme Leader Ren?"

#

Silence hung over the vast room, the only sound coming from the low hum of the lightsabre held in Kylo's hand. He remained transfixed, unable to move due to the shock of what had happened. Or rather, the person that just walked inside. Even Hux, gasping feebly for breath as he was, appeared shocked by the appearance of the masked figure.

The figures mask was more akin to an ancient warrior helmets of old then Kylo's own, but it's colouration and overall design mimicked the Supreme leaders old head-piece. Robes were similar as well, but in-place of the cloak was a long flowing trenchcoat whose coat tails were tattered and frayed, fluttering about behind him on some manner of invisible breeze and making the masked man appear almost like a ghost come back from the dead. Kylo quickly recognized the forces work in his coats theatrical display, sensing the others use of it for such a trivial piece of showmanship.

Then again, Marka had always had a habit of showing off even back then. Some habits died hard.

"What's the matter Kylo? Loth-cat got your tongue?" Marka lowered his hands with a chuckle as he stepped forwards, lowering his guard as he approached the supreme leader. Kylo's eyes went to the hand reaching out for his shoulder, only to narrow angrily at the approaching limb. Stepping back, he swung his blade at the offending appendage. Marka tore his hand back just in time with a backwards step, narrowly missing the deadly burn of the lightsabers kiss.

"Where were you?" Kylo hissed, anger replacing shock at the sight of his former comrade. He remembered every moment the Knights, HIS knights, had let him face alone: His crippling defeat at Starkiller base, his humiliation at the hands of Skywalker, and the sad state of the first order now. "Where the hell were you!?" His scream echoed around the throne rooms chamber, his hands trembling as they held the fiery blade at his once-friend.

"Kylo…Kylo. What are you doing? That's no way to greet an old friend." Marka's voice softened behind the filter, slowly approaching him with hands raised. "We came a long way back here to see you, and the first thing you do is start screaming like you've seen a ghost." He felt the gloved hand of Marka rest on his sleeve, swapping his gaze to the offending limb. Nobody dared touch the supreme leader! To do so lead to a swift end of the foolish parties life. Yet, he felt no anger as Marka gripped his wrist and his desire to attack slowly faded the more the other spoke. "Who am I Kylo?"

The question made the Supreme leader stare into the visor, as if hoping to meet his fellow Knights gaze for an answer. All that greeted him was the darkness of the lens, which seemed to go on for an eternity. "Kylo, who am I?"

"Marka. You're Marka Ren."

"And have I ever lied to you?" Kylo shook his head, averting his gaze down with a nervous sigh.

"No, you haven't…."

Marka's hand patted Kylo's wrist in congratulations, the Supreme leader deactivating his weapon with a heavy breath.

"That's right. You can trust us Kylo."

"Us?"

"You didn't think I'd come back alone did you, old friend?" Marka asked with an amused chuckle. He let loose a sharp whistle, sounding more like a distorted crackle against the filter of his helmet.

#

"We are not Dogs to be summoned, Marka." A cloaked figure growled, his voice equally as filtered as Marka's own. He tapped the base of his staff against the durasteel floor as he entered the Supreme leaders abode, hobbling slowly towards the left. He placed both hands on the staff to steady himself as he straightened his back, his stance leaning more on the right foot over the left.

"And yet you come when I call Cassius, how curious." Cassius' grip on his staff tightened at Marka's barb, growling as he situated himself further upright. He tensed as something flew past his right shoulder, shifting quickly into a ready stance with staff at the ready.

"Marka is merely attempting to get under your skin and aggravate you Cassius, as usual you fall for his trap." Another masked voice spoke as a small black and red ID10 Seeker droid floated before the stave-wielding knight. Its primary lens zoomed in on the surprised warrior as if in silent judgement.

"I'm not the one hiding behind a droid Draxx!" The seeker droid chittered in binary, offended by the Knights words as it flew back to the door.

"Don't mistake my caution for cowardice Cassius, I merely wanted to survey the surroundings before I stepped into a possible trap: The Supremacy houses several safeguards to deal with intruders without utilizing troopers. The Throne room, doubly so. Even I am not aware of all the secret defensive measures of this room." Draxx held out his right arm as he stepped in, the seeker landing on his wrist gently as he stepped into the room. His left hand, covered in a make-shift metal gauntlet that housed countless monitors and readings, reached out to softly pat the droid on the head. The mechanical creature nuzzled the hand in turn, as if it could somehow feel the gesture. "And please, lower your voice. You're upsetting Zeke."

A scoff emanated from behind Draxx, another cloaked figure walking into the throne room carrying a bow-caster. They were flanked by a taller masked figure, who carried with them what appeared to be a make-shift metal cleaver in their right hand. They rested the flat edge of the weapon on their shoulder, carrying the large weapon with ease.

"Cassius has a point. If you learned to look with your eyes and not your monitors, maybe you could start relying more on yourself Draxx." The bowcaster wielder hissed, resting the weapon over his shoulder and onto his back via it's sling.

"And if it wasn't for my technological prowess, you and your fellow knights would not have made it passed the first Star Destroyer Sethan." Drax sighed. "The force and skill can only take one so far in the physical realm."

"Short-sighted as always." Sethan hissed, standing against the corner wall alongside the taller figure. He shifted his helmet-clad head upwards to look at the taller figure. "Brutus, what do you think?"

Brutus, the taller figure, placed the blade down against the wall next to him. After which, he grunted and crossed his arms. "See? Brutus agrees with me." Drax shook his head, pressing his free hand to the temple of his mask in silent frustration.

One final figure walked into the throne room, masked and robed as the others. However, their form was slightly shorter then the others around them. They walked in silence towards Marka and Kylo, their motion quicker then the others as they neared the supreme leader. Stopping short of Kylo and their masked comrade, the figure fell to their knee in a reverent bow.

"Supreme Leader Ren." The masked figures filtered voice carried a more feminine tone then the others, revealing the figures gender beneath the form- obscuring attire, speaking with a calm detachment compared to her more emotional counterparts. "Nothing brings me more joy then being in your presence once more." She raised her head, glancing briefly to Marka and then to the other Knights. "Even if some of us have forgotten standard protocol and courtesy in our exile." One by one, the knights removed themselves from the wall and dropped to a knee as well, with Cassius trembling as he did in an attempt to not fall over. Marka was the last, stepping back from Kylo and dropping to his knee, bowing his head with the others.

"On your feet, Talon." Kylo said, gesturing for her to stand. The woman gracefully stood before the Supreme leader, giving a final bow of her head. Kylo's gaze, once one of confusion and anger, slowly softened.

#

"While this reunion is heartwarming, I believe the Supreme Leader asked you a question: Where have you been?" Hux' hiss didn't carry with it the same threat or commanding tenor as normal, indicating he had just been heavily suffocated. Likely a result of speaking out of turn. "The last report we were given, the Knights were all killed on a mission before the destruction of Starkiller base."

"Reports of our demise were pre-mature General Hux." Talon spared only a cursory glance toward the General as she spoke, focusing her gaze solely on Kylo. He was the one that had asked about them. "As you know, we were sent out to scout out specific areas for Holocrons and artefacts. Dark and Light both. Meanwhile, you were to hunt for Skywalker and prepare Starkiller Base for the war to come."

"Supreme Leader Snoke sent us to Moraband, accompanied by a company of storm troopers and two of Snokes Praetorian guards." Kylo's gaze rested on her, captivated and curious. She felt her heart flutter as he looked at her like that: It made her feel like the most important person in the room to him. She was grateful for the helmet, or else it might betray her joy at this moment.

"Why didn't you contact us then?"

"We were betrayed." Talon clenched her fist as Marka interrupted, tearing Kylo's gaze from her to the man at his side. "The soldiers and Praetorians turned on us the moment we were out of the shuttle. It's a small miracle that we survived, but luckily we were able to escape into the ruins. After that, it was simple divide and conquer. I lost my lightsabers in that mess though, and the guards destroyed the ship once things turned against them." He chuckled. "The Supreme leader had them rig it to explode, how paranoid is that?"

"Unfortunately, that left us stranded on that rock with no way home and no way to contact the fleet." Talon interjected, returning Kylo's focus to her. "Until one day…"


	3. The Coming Storm

The legends said Moraband was a dead world where only ghosts dwelt, and where sandstorms could grow so strong that they could flay the flesh from a mans bones in an instant. As with all legends these were an exaggeration of-course: The winds of the tomb world were not strong enough to rend one's skin let alone scratch it, a fact she had learned from personal experience in her worst moment of despair.

The second exaggeration was that no life existed on the desolate planet. The desert world was home to living things outside of bacteria eating away at the bones of long dead Sith Lords. Shyracks were the most common creatures, pests that made their homes in the darkest crevices of an already dark world. Such creatures, amongst other fauna, had been the primary source of sustenance for her and her comrades in this world of death. And this grave-world's population had now grown.

The ruined temples structure was vast, with ancient sandstone engraved with various images of Sith iconography. Runes of a long dead language decorated the walls of the buildings that surrounded the abandoned courtyard. Another structure slightly further ahead lay buried mostly beneath the sands, three ruined and broken pillars of aged stone scattered about the sands. Yet, a single pillar stood lopsided, defiant of the ravages of time. Atop it, Sethans cloaked figure crouched above it like a predator on the hunt.

"I count around twenty headed towards the temple." Sethan's voice rang out over the commlink as her eyes settled on the horizon. A black shuttle with wings folded at a perpendicular angle rested at the crest of the hill, most of it obscured by the dust storms ahead. It had landed only mere moments ago when Sethan was scavenging for food. The shuttles allegiance to the first order was discovered moments later when Stormtroopers exited from the transport, a group of twenty.

"The shuttle is an Upsilon _B_ \- Personnel Shuttle. Curious." Talon turned to Draxx as his voice interjected, the tech-obsessed Knight leaning over the edge of the temple buildings roof as he held up the electro-binoculars. Zeke stood vigil on his shoulder patiently, a low synthetic chitter of binary escaping the droids modulator. "Yes Zeke! We should go and examine it! Who knows what secrets it holds, and whether they fixed the design flaws of the initial design and how they compensated for increased personnel capacity!"

"You've been on this world too long Draxx." Cassius cut in from the left side of his excited counterpart. "It's just the standard issue transport shuttle, and here you are acting like you found a Super star Destroyer!"

"Standard!?" Draxx tore himself away from the binoculars, staring at his staff-wielding counterpart. "Ah, you are referring to the standard Upsilon-Class Command Shuttle. A common misconception given the similar structure and their primary use among strike teams. No, the Upsilon _B_ -Personnel Shuttle was only just entering prototype stages when we were sent out here. It's larger when examined up close, boasting facilities to transport ten additional passengers: Original intention was to create an updated personnel transport shuttle that possessed greater structural integrity, speed and firepower to support forces in engagements. Primary issues with the new design were it's inability to-"

"Short version: It can carry more people, got it." Marka spoke in his unmistakably snarky tone, stepping up between Talon and Draxx.

"The real question you should ask is what is it doing here?" Talon spoke, softly crossing her arms in thought as she looked out across at the landing site.

It had been twelve months since they had been trapped in this hell, surviving only through co-operation and their own strength in the force. Had she the choice, she'd obliterate the whole site from orbit and leave it as dust: The Sith perished due to their arrogance, and this place stood as a monument to their failure. Nobody would miss it, save perhaps Marka and Sethan. Marka had always enjoyed exploring the tombs, often going back over explored rooms multiple times as if in search of something. Sethan, meanwhile, merely enjoyed the challenges of the planet and it's wildlife. He was a hunter, and nothing sated him more then a hunt with risk.

"Obviously they came here to give us this wonderful gift!" Marka clapped his hands together, tapping his thumbs together as he looked out across the wasteland. "Not too fussed on the other stuff they sent though. Maybe we should send that back, preferably in pieces."

"We should leave at-least one alive." Marka turned his head to face her as she spoke up, tilting his head in bewilderment as he stepped toward her.

"Feeling merciful are we Talon?" She watched the finger press against her shoulder, eyes narrowing beneath her visor. "Korriban's not meant to make you soft, you know."

"Why do you assume that I wish to spare one of them out of mercy?" She grabbed his hand, sharply pushing it aside. "We have been on this planet for almost a year. In that time we haven't seen a single vessel land or enter the atmosphere . So why would one finally land after all this time, especially one affiliated with the first order, if our demise was already reported?"

Marka nodded his head with a gentle 'ah' of understanding.

"You want to find out if they're here for us, or something else here. Got it. Thinking about it, this is a bit strange." Marka was smart, but he could overlook key details sometimes in favour of sating his sadism. At times, it was as if he thought himself a sith lord of old with how he quietly relished his darker impulses.

"If we're going to use that to get off planet, we need to be careful of the destroyer in orbit." Cassius remarked.

"Oh! You remember that Transport shuttles, while possessing a hyperdrive, rarely travel long distances away from major destroyers!" Draxx spoke happily, only for Cassius to point upwards with a sigh.

"No, I just saw that."

She had seen the vague outline of the star destroyer in the atmosphere before, but her companions had been blinded by the shuttle at the expense observing the rest of their environment.

"We need to make sure that shuttle doesn't communicate anything to the star destroyer. Taking the ship will accomplish nothing if we get shot out of the sky before we even make hyperspace." She tapped the chin plate of her visor. "Draxx, you need to send Zeke and get him to temporarily disable the array. You have to get the array down before the troopers arrive. Once that is accomplished, subdue the ship and leave one alive. Once they are here, Sethan will utilize the last of our detonators and throw them into the centremost point of the group."

"And what if they split up before then?" Talon glanced at Cassius.

"Typical protocol dictates they will enter as a unified group into the courtyard and establish a perimeter. Only once that is accomplished will they split their forces and begin to scout the area. We have to ensure that they don't split off. The ruins also present us greater cover from enemy fire, and the chance to retreat should it be necessary." Talon looked at Marka. "You will remain on the rooftops with Sethan and trade fire with the troopers, meanwhile Brutus and Cassius will attack from the sides, getting into close quarters with the remaining troops. I will join the fray last should it be necessary, acting as support."

She would have preferred more time to lay a more effective trap then this. Going loud when outnumbered wasn't a good idea, but they didn't have the luxury of time to prepare a potent counter to the forces soon to be on their doorstep. If they were allowed time to start exploring the ruins, that gave them more opportunities to become lost or for them to get discovered. More-over, the ruins were just as much an advantage for the invaders as it was for them: She didn't know what paths they would take or how many of their number would be sent out to investigate, meaning divide and conquer was unlikely to work as well as it had in the past.

The offensive was the best option they had. Just taking the shuttle without dealing with the soldiers presented other risks, and she wasn't going to risk leaving them behind to strand them here through a stroke of sheer luck.

"For the record, this plan's awful." Marka muttered.

"Your concern is noted." She pressed the side of her helmet, activating the commlink with the tell-tale beep.

"Sethan, hold position and stay out of sight. It's time to hunt."

#

"The troopers fell, and we were able to claim the ship as our own. There was one survivor that remained following our attack called Captain Liru. What followed was an interrogation about their purpose on the planet. After the interrogation, we made a decision to return to the fleet and seek you out directly. We snuck aboard instead of going through official channels, for our safety."

Kylo stood before her, calmly and silently processing the information he received. His gaze was soft but interested, his posture relaxed despite the gentle crossing of his arms. He was hanging on her every word, he was listening to her. He was here, flesh and blood, standing in-front of her again.

"You should have contacted me through my personal channel then! Hyperspace isn't safe now, not with the war on." Kylo's criticism drew her closer, stepping towards him.

"But…I needed to see you." Her voice quivered behind the modulator just slightly, blinking back tears behind the mask as she delicately reached a hand out. Even if she couldn't feel him, she had to touch him: If only to prove to herself this wasn't just some dream or mirage. Her gloved fingers touched his cheek, the action causing Kylo's form to tense and brow to raise. His eyes widened, staring down at her masked face in surprise at the gesture. Yet, he made no attempt to move away or display displeasure. "I had to know this real."

Kylo opened his mouth to respond, but another voice silenced him before he could speak.

"Talon, was it? You mentioned before a Captain Liru. Might I ask where they are? No doubt they can support what you and your companions are saying." It was moments like this she hated her self control. She wanted nothing more then to ignite her weapon and separate Hux' head from his shoulders for destroying the moment. For more then a year she'd wanted nothing more then to once again be in the presence of the one she cared for most in the whole galaxy. And that moment had now been shattered like Alderaan.

Gradually, she withdrew her hand from Kylo's face and turned to face the outspoken general. Both hands rested behind her, clenching her fists in silent fury once they were out of sight.

"Sorry to say but she's dead." Marka spoke up with a sigh. "In our quarrel she got grievously injured, stray blaster bolt. We did our best to revive her but, well, even with Cassius' expertise she didn't make it." He shook his head. "And yes, we did use the medical tools on the ship before you ask. That's how we kept her alive as long as we did. She didn't suffer, don't worry."

Marka's words were not even remotely close to the truth, but Talon knew better then to correct him in this scenario. In this case, the truth would have only made things worse.

"You go galivanting on a tomb world for a year, kill your own comrades and then expect to be welcomed back with open arms?"

"Need I remind you, General." Talon spoke up at last, slowly making her way toward Hux. "We were betrayed by YOUR soldiers, stranded on that world and forgotten for almost a year. We struggled to survive for a year, feared for our lives for a year. So, when those same soldiers that tried to kill us landed at our doorstep, were we wrong to expect their intentions were not peaceful?"

"Those were not there at my orders."

"And the ones that stranded us were?"

"Enough." Kylo interjected, silencing the growing argument as he turned to look at her. "You all arrived at a good time. This war with the republic has halted, and our progress has stalled for months. We're losing ground." He stepped into the centre of the group, turning his gaze to the gathering of his once lost friends. "Will you help me get it back?"

"Supreme Leader-" Kylo turned sharply to Hux

"You said yourself we're losing this war, that we need help. And with the Knights, she won't be able to stop us." Talon tilted her head, curious what was meant by her Supreme leaders last sentence. Who was he talking about? It certainly wasn't her, for she was loyal. "What happened in the past happened, but it's time to let the past die. My Knights: Will you help me win this war?"

"No, old friend." Marka chuckled. "We'll win you the Galaxy."

#

It was a cold night in the desert even this close to the fire-pit. The winds were still for the first time in over a month, yet she felt as if she had just stepped into a walk-in freezer. While the desert nights could be cold they were never frigid like this, especially when a still evening was enough to send a chill down her spine. Her hooded companion stepped from the wreckage of the shuttle into the sands behind her.

"You felt it, didn't you?" She'd lived long enough now to recognize the signs of the force changing, of the tides of fate itself shifting. "The shroud of the dark side grows stronger." She shook her head. "No…it's not stronger. It's always been there, it's just only now revealed itself. But how?" She hadn't sensed anything like this. Snoke and Skywalkers deaths were supposed to bring with it the balance of light and shadow, even the field in the ongoing clash. And in doing so, they would doom the galaxy.

She had seen how this was to unfold. Nobody on either side would be aware of the oncoming calamity until it had emerged from the unknown regions, and by then it was going to be too late to stop it.

For all its surprises she had learned one truth above all about the force in her years: It was always in motion, nothing one saw in a vision was certain to happen nor were prophecies set in stone. Fate could be subverted, although some outcomes took more difficulty and effort to subvert than others. She had learned the force did try to bring forth certain results for its own ends.

This was one outcome she knew she had to change. If she didn't, it meant the death of not just the force but all life in the galaxy. And so, she'd made a play of her own to try to change the galaxies terrible fate.

"The exiles from the Academy." The hooded figure grumbled. "They've returned."

"A war that should have ended dragging on, and people that should be dead returning." She sighed, guilt swelling up in her as she realized how badly things had become. Worse still, it was her fault. But, she knew there was risks in what she had done. The changes she had made were going to have ripples, but this uncharted territory.

When one played Sabaac, their hand could be either strong or weak. Right now, she felt like her hand was a poor one indeed. "I feel like I've made a mistake…"

"If even half of what you told me is true, then it must have been one hell of a mistake if this is somehow worse."

She stared at the horizon, seeing the swell of sand in the low light spiral into the air in the beginnings of a dust devil. She let a small smile cross her lips, realizing her companions words were right: Things were bad now, but they still had a chance. A slim one, but still a chance to save the galaxy.

"You're right, at-least now…there's still a chance." The sandstorm increased in momentum and size, a sharp wind picking up the sand.

"A storm is coming, and I just hope she's strong enough to survive it." She sighed. "But that's why I have you here. When she returns-"

"SHOULD she return."

"When." She corrected. "You're going to need this." Reaching into her cloak, she pulled something out. A lightsaber hilt, primarily silver and black in colour. She spied the recognition in her companion's hooded features and sensed his dread at seeing the weapon presented to him. Even she could feel the weapons dark-side aura, the malice of its former wielder heavily imprinted into the corrupted blades very being.

Tentatively, he retrieved the weapon, his hand shaking as he pulled it gently from her grasp, looking at the weapon with a mix of both awe and horror.

"May the force be with you, and with us all." She turned, pulling the hood of her white cloak up and over her head as she stepped toward the desert. Reaching out a hand, she called on the force to rouse the staff resting against the hull of the downed vessel. It flew swiftly through the desert air and into her open palm. Closing her fingers around the shaft, she turned and walked forward, into the growing storm.

The man looked down at the weapon, hand still shaking as his other gloved hand wrapped around the bottom of the weapon. With a slow, steady breath, he mentally prepared himself as he pressed the switch. The red blade of the Sith Lords weapon cut into the darkness with a hiss, the man merely standing still and staring into the energy of the blade in silence.


End file.
